Holy Cross Spring Orchestra Concert

 A perfect sunset over the cross... 

Family time on a weeknight... (even though she does work the whole drive and while she's waiting for the concert to start)

The most amazing music... 

Getting to hug my girl... 

is worth the drive on a school day, in the middle of the week, getting home at 10:45, and getting up at 5:00 again... so so worth it! 

Chinese National Honor Society

Last week Abigail is inducted into the Chinese National Society for her devotion to the Chinese language and culture. It as a blessed evening and one that Scott and I got to step back and reflect on our daughter. 

Sometimes it feels like evenings like these fly by in a moment -- in a flurry of 'taught fourth graders all day', quick dinner, getting Abigail all ready, what time to we have to leave?, pack my big camera, out the door, park, rush in, that it just is over in an instant. That is one reason I'm so grateful for this blog of mine, going on 13 years now! This blog slows down time and lets me see things and reflect. And how nice it was to reflect on our daughter Abigail! 

She looked so pretty in her green dress that night. I tried to recreated THIS picture but the buds we already turning to green leaves. I did find a way to capture that setting sun and pretty light in the tree though. 

After the ceremony we took a few pictures -- with a close friend (so grateful for the friends in Abigail's life) (gosh, somewhere on this blog I have the most darling picture of Leah and Abigail way back from 6th grade, I just have to find it!) 

And with their Chinese teacher. Check out THIS post way back here! Anna in in elementary school and one of her classmates and sweet friend had us over their house around the time of Chinese New Year to make dumplings. Well ten years later this lovely woman became a high school Chinese teacher and is now Abigail's teacher. 💕 Love that! 

Yes, so grateful for this time slowing down blog of mine. 

 

Blooming

There is so much of life that has changed. It just whizzes by. Those thirteen magical years I was home -- those baby, toddler, elementary school, middle school thirteen years I thought would last forever. Try as I could, I just could not let those days stay forever. They slipped through my hands. I adored those thirteen years but I'm hear to say that T H E S E years are just a formative -- just as mentoring -- just as sweet and important. 

(2015)

Like the past two evenings; my phone call with Anna in college. We talk every night. Mostly longer on the weekends we I can really sit down and listen carefully without the worry of time and so much to do on a weeknight. But always we talk. Most of the weeknights in our home are hustling. There's cooking, laundry, cleaning, school work (for all three of us), and all of the other things of course that we all do. But in a limited amount of time (gosh, I sure do fit in a lot from 4:15 (ish) til I fall asleep) Anna conversations just join our full nights. She's often on speaker phone while dishes clatter in the background, while I fold laundry and run to put another load in the dryer, etc. It's happy, and full and she fills me in. I get to hear her voice and all is well. 

But once in a while, like last night and tonight she shares a piece of her heart in a way that God has been leading her and it stops me. All those years. All those years pouring, mentoring over cups of tea and cookies. All those Bible verse read, hearts shared, Masses attended... somehow I get to hear that it sunk in. That she believes. That she's using her faith in her daily life. That she loves the Lord and wants His presence in her life. That she's listening. 

Last night so much of our talk was about social media and how we both gave it up for Lent and how fruitful it was and still is now. She shared some powerful things with me and how God used Lent to teach her. So beautiful. 

Tonight we were just chatting about some things that were bugging her. Not a big deal, just little annoyances. After we hung up she called back (we were all sitting down to dinner) and she told me she didn't like the way she felt when we were done. We reassured her it was okay to share her feelings. We happened to be in the middle of our family devotional time. (I read the daily readings from Mass each night at dinner along with a devotional that goes along with it) And somehow among a big pot of soup and yummy bread the reading today reached her heart in a beautiful way. I wished she was physically around our table sharing our dinner with us, but so grateful I could still reach her heart. 

Love this reading: 

1 Peter 5

Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: 

God opposes the proud

but he bestows favor on the humble. 

So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all of your worries upon him because he cares for you. 

Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith...

The devotional talked about how when Mark wrote the gospel he included the part of Peter's life that were not perfect. You would think that Mark would steer clear of those stories out of reverence for Peter. But Peter wanted them in Mark's gospel. Maybe so we could see that he struggled to believe. How he slipped up. How regular life was not perfect for him. 

So much of life is not perfect. So much can be 'slip ups'. But I'm just so grateful to witness that all those hours, all that love, all those 'pouring in' mattered. Where I held onto faith -- my tiny mustard seed planted in Anna became great faith. 

This year, 2023, the cherry tree pictures without Anna here. This Anna tree bloomed even with her away. And it's a reminder -- the sweetest reminder that I get to be a witness to God's glory unfolding - unfolding in the heart of my daughter. 

Because I held on to my beliefs. 

Because I never let my ideals go. 

Because I prayed. 

I was not perfect all those years -- but I believe that God used the little I had and multiplied it. 

Dreaming of Wandering the Tulip Fields

Our spring break is in April and boy did we have glorious weather! It was sunny 🌞 sunny🌞  sunny🌞 the whole week with crazy temps up in the 80s! Totally unheard of for April in New England. 

"April in New England is like first love," Gladys Taber 

My Dad told us about a tulip farm where you could pick your own tulips. There is one in Connecticut but we headed to Rhode Island and made a day trip out of it. And it was lov - e - ly. 💗

"The earth laughs in flowers," Ralph Waldo Emerson 

The brightest reds and yellows, and varieties that I'd never seen. It was a glorious day indeed. 

“I love tulips better than any other spring flower; they are the embodiment of alert cheerfulness and tidy grace, and next to a hyacinth look like a wholesome, freshly tubbed young girl beside a stout lady whose every movement weighs down the air with patchouli. Their faint, delicate scent is refinement itself; and is there anything in the world more charming than the sprightly way they hold up their little faces to the sun.” – Elizabeth von Arnim

oh goodness, why I didn't take more pictures that day is beyond me! We found the cutest antique shop (Homespun Cottage Antiques and Collectables) in a darling town (click HERE to see a few images of that town since I didn't take any pictures) and ice cream for Abigail. 

On the way home we had a lovely dinner in Mystic CT. We've eaten here before and just love it so much! 

And later that day when we took them home they filled vases throughout our house. Spring, glorious, spring! 

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower, clearly our whole life would change." 

Our Blessed Easter

Oh Easter! What a joyful day to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord! I hope everyone that hops on here to peek into our little family had a very blessed Easter indeed. 

Such a beautiful time of renewal (even my silverware drawer is singing of renewal, ha! as I'm making my way through our home spring cleaning!) 

We started our day at 8:00 AM Mass at our favorite place, our church! We've been going to this church since 1997 (we 'found' it after we had been married a year and were going to our neighborhood parish). It's our 'home' and our girls were 'raised' here. I walked for eight years through those doors just holding on to Scott's hand. And then in 2004 we were blessed to bring Anna home from China to be in our forever family. And then we were three in our pew. Just three short years later we had another little bundle to bring to church, our darling little Abigail. And now they are almost all grown. Not quite! But it is still our favorite place on the planet to be, all four of us sitting together the pew. 

"It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass." ~Padre Pio

When we were walking there was something about the doors I've seen and walked through countless times. There was something about the huge potted flowers. And there was something about my girls right in front of me. I asked them to to turn around and in one moment I captured joy. Easter morning at Mass joy. So glad I took my camera out! 

My sweeter than sweet daughters: Anna Jian Qian (19, sophomore at Holy Cross) and Abigail Mei (15, sophomore in high school) 

Here's a peek back at Easter Mass throughout the years. 

2022 (one big picture of church that I love) 

2021Mass was live streamed 

2020 Mass was live streamed 

2019

2018 (changing and growing) 

2017 (little girl sitting in her daddy's lap before Mass) 

2016 (those big, red church doors) 

2015 (love these pictures so much) 

2014

2013

2012

Abigail is no longer in the youth singers but she will still stand for a picture for me near the alter. 

We really loved the 8:00 AM - although we all had to get up at our school time, there was something oh so peaceful an beautiful about that Mass. 

When we got home we got right into Easter preparations. Busy busy we were! Love this one below of Abigail in our kitchen helping to prep things. 

I adore holidays. And setting the table when I am hosting is one of my favorite parts. I started about a month before, yes I did! I love having a dining room. I know a lot of new homes have a great big great room. I think those can be wonderful of course but I do so adore a dining room -- a formal place where I can start my table scape anytime I want to because it's not a room we need to eat in daily. You can read more about our dining room furniture back here. 

The sunlight was streaming in that morning and it made it all the more lovely. Bring and sunshine for Easter was so pretty. 

Our tablecloth was from Lovely Lady Linens (linens inspired by the Blessed Mother Mary) I added these natural colored mats under each plate and the 'made in England' dishes for dinner rolls and butter on the side. The china cups and green glass held fruit and the silver was from our wedding registry years ago. 

Those lambs (gosh I didn't get a closer picture of them) are antiques called Lefton and I used milkglass on either side of the Burleigh bowl. 

It's hard to see but I also put a tiny vase of flowers in front of each place setting -- baby's breath made it so delicate, light, and pretty. 

I had so much fun putting this table together. Throughout the year I jot ideas and little notes down in a holiday notebook I keep. And I look for little treasures all year long. 

After Mass they girls got their baskets. Always set up in our family room on their old childhood tea party chairs. Same baskets each year, just a new springtime bow on the front for a cherry look. 

When I see this picture I feel oh so blessed that I have two darling daughters, two Easter baskets just as pretty as can be. 

We took these right after we got home from church. It was still pretty chilly outside and our back porch doesn't get sunshine until later in the day so they were quick! 

I love my family! 

Never, ever too old for an egg hunt in our house! 

Love this joy! 

In their eggs were little coupons for special little family dates: 

💛Popcorn night

💛Ben & Jerrys

💛A snack trip to Trader Joes with daddy (pick out any snacks you want)

💛 A shopping trip to J Crew Factory with mommy 

💛A fun drink at starbucks

💛A trip to Dunkin 

💛A family lunch out to Little Oak Cafe 

💛Smores night

And then it was time to feast! We had ham from the Honey Baked Ham Co (thanks Mom!) (the only ham I'll have) 

and we feasted on fresh dill & chive homemade rolls, fruit salad... 

Mimosas 

Amazing scalloped potatoes! 

Deviled eggs... 

and homemade crepes will will jam and cheese! 

And for dessert I baked a carrot cake and lemon sour cream pie. My oh my! And there was coffee and tea of course. 

One of my favorite pictures of the day... oh that pie ... 

And we waved goodbye as guests left. And now we have a whole huge week off from school. Ahhhhhhh! 

"The Lord is my strength and my shield. I trust him with my whole heart. He helps me and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." Psalm 28:7

The joy of the Lord IS my strength. No matter what trials we walk through it the Lord's hand that I hold on to. I am so blessed and grateful for my rich Catholic heritage and the promise of everlasting life.